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The quick, at first mildly witty, but over time just old, response to any college basketball mention in the area was a simple: "Yeah, but who cares, anyway?"

Well.

Wednesday night, that answer for the Colorado State-Colorado men's basketball game at the Coors Events Center is going to likely be 11,000 strong (TV: PAC12; radio: 760 AM; tipoff: 8:30 p.m.). That's who cares. The record for a nonconference basketball game at the CEC is 11,291, set back in 1991. This could push that.

Countless others will gaze at televisions in restaurants and sports bars not to mention those watching from homes. Both coaches and players on both sides have been peppered with questions about the unprecedented hype leading up to the event.

This game is that big. Finally.

The buzz and anticipation for this rivalry matchup between the state's biggest universities is unlike any other for this series — maybe in the history of both programs. And it really wasn't dampened by Colorado's loss at Wyoming, which knocked the Buffs out of the top 25 rankings. I've never seen a buzz like this for the annual game.

But never have these programs been at such high level places at the same time. Everyone could see this one coming in a way that wasn't apparent in any other year. Sure, in the past one team or the other might enter the game highly regarded; or both teams might have finished a particular season on a high note, but it's just not common for both to be on such solid footing with such high expectations so early in the season.

Both are NCAA Tournament participants from a year ago and will likely repeat the feat this season. Colorado already has signature victories that were significant enough to take it from not receiving votes to ranked in The Associated Press poll for the first time in 15 years. Saturday's loss in Laramie may have knocked the Buffs from the rankings and the ranks of the unbeaten, but they are still 6-1 and every bit as dangerous a team, with growing young stars, as they were last year when they won the Pac-12 tournament.

Meanwhile, the building blocks put in place at CSU by former head coach Tim Miles have been taken to a new level under new coach Larry Eustachy — who has been national coach of the year, has taken a team to the Elite Eight and won 61 percent of the games in his career.

This is no-joke status, people.

The Rams have tied the best start in school history, and boast firepower on the inside (Colton Iverson, Pierce Hornung) and out (Wes Eikmeier, Dorian Green). The 20 wins racked up a year ago seem like just a starting point this time around for a team that received votes in preseason polls.

And this is where we are. Not just two programs with a local spotlight, but on the national radar as well.

CSU fans dialed in about Nov. 24, the day the Rams manhandled last season's Pac-12 regular-season champion, Washington, a team predicted to finish higher than CU in the conference this season. Just like that, the flames for Wednesday night's contest were stoked and the flood of texts and tweets started to rise.

This is the sentence that has come to me at least a couple of times every day via all platforms of communication: "I can't wait for Dec. 5."

Neither could Buffs fans. Neither could anyone curious about what the college-basketball fuss is all about.

It's December, there's a CU football coaching search, a Broncos game Thursday night, and this game is playing with the big boys for headlines. All I can do is smile.

Visit denverpost.com each weekday near noontime for a serving of dish concerning Colorado's sporting landscape from a Denver Post sports writer. Care for another helping? Visit the Lunch Special archive.

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